Seriously thinking about picking up a Lexus CT200h Sport as my next company car. Before I make the final decision I was hoping to get a few real world answers from you guys and girls:-

Firstly, the stock audio system needs to work with my iPhone 5 for streaming music and more importantly hands free calling. I want to be able to use all of the hands free options in the car like steering wheel controls. Does anyone have experience with an iPhone and the CT?

Space in the back. I have a 4 year old with a booster seat and a 14 year old that will be I the back at weekends, is there enough room for them, or is the back space tight?

I hear that the CTís are very noisy, I had an IS200 a while back and one of the stand out features of this car was how quiet it was and the quality of the interior. Is this still the case on the CT?

How is the performance? I currently have a Passat 2.0Hdi and donít expect it to be as quick as that but I donít want a car that is hard to drive either.

Thanks in advance for any help and opinions that you can offer.

Chris

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Will work with Iphone 5 has steering wheel controls and bluetooth standard.

Space is tight but for them it should be fine, every once in awhile Ill have 1 or two adults in the back.

I wouldnt say theyre noisy, but my last car had exhaust and 2 inches from ground. So my opinion isnt the best here lol.

performance, I mean its a hybrid, sport mode helps. For being a 1.8ltr hybrid that weights 4,000lbs I say it has decent take off, beats my friend's scion off the line lol (we tried at a red light when I first got it haha)

I have a 6 year old in a booster seat and a 14 year old and they both fit. I normally have the 6 year old on the passenger side and pull the seat up a little. He tends to kick the seat so i pull it up. My 14 year old sits behind me and i normally have the seat all the way back.

Noise-levels are still decent at highway speeds mainly from road/tire noise. Compared to a Gen 2 IS which I owned, it is a little noisier at higher speeds. At city speeds, in particular EV mode, it's really quiet and although I have very little experience in a Passat TDI, I bet the TDI is noisier overall.

Interior quality is a slight notch below the Gen 2 IS, but still has excellent fit and finish. There are just more hard plastic surfaces in the lower sections of the dash and door panels (rear door panels mostly all hard plastic though), but I argue it's high-quality hard plastic. One thing better from my experience over the Gen 2 IS is the interior build is more tightly put together. I had a few annoying HVAC/radio center stack squeaks in the 2 IS whereas the CT rarely makes a peep even on the roughest roads.

Maneuverability, visibility, and ease of parking is great thanks to its size and good turning circle.

The CT is my commuter car and have averaged 5.0L /100km over a near 2 and 1/2 years of ownership. Its style and fuel economy have been the best features (and of course bullet-proof reliability). My family hauler is the RX for the long trips, but on occasion, I take my two kids to school with my CT and rear seat space is fine for them with their school bags to their backs. Wife tags along too at times and we're fine.

A child seat might be a little tight but no worse than in a Gen 2 IS. I'd put that on the passenger rear side so the front seat can be moved a little further up to avoid the child kicking its backside.

Overall, short trips - driver and passengers will be fine...well worth the slight interior space compromise for all of the other benefits you will make use of on a daily basis.

Firstly, the stock audio system needs to work with my iPhone 5 for streaming music and more importantly hands free calling. I want to be able to use all of the hands free options in the car like steering wheel controls. Does anyone have experience with an iPhone and the CT?

The iPhone 5 integrates very well with Lexus' system, should have no problems.

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I hear that the CTís are very noisy, I had an IS200 a while back and one of the stand out features of this car was how quiet it was and the quality of the interior. Is this still the case on the CT?

I recently had a CT as a loaner, and found it pretty noisy and unrefined quite frankly. We had a Prius up until a couple years ago and honestly I thought the CT was at its best only as refined as that Prius, which I did not care for.

If you are looking for something with the quality of that IS' interior and with that level of refinement, I think you should test drive the CT thoroughly before purchasing. The CT did not feel at all "Lexus-like" to me.

it is very loud on the highway. i do about 75-80% highway in the CT at speeds of 75mph+ and it's very loud. the engine works hard at those speeds!

i have two convertible car seats in the back for my 3 and 5 year old and it is tight. it would be better if i used boosters because the head height is low back there and my 5 year old is getting tall. leg room is also limited if you want the kids to stretch their legs. i'm 5-7" and fit just fine driving my kids around. that said, we have a big family hauler for most of our family outings, which is preferable. we do use the CT a few times a week altogether as a family, but normally it's my commuter and errands car.

because of the space limitations and road noise and our growing kids, we are very likely to get the ES hybrid next year when our lease is up.

I recently had a CT as a loaner, and found it pretty noisy and unrefined quite frankly. We had a Prius up until a couple years ago and honestly I thought the CT was at its best only as refined as that Prius, which I did not care for.

We had a Prius before several years prior to purchasing the CT. The CT is much more comfortable than a Prius, mainly because I hated the Prius seats. With the Prius I would get back aches after 45 minutes on the road, no matter how I adjusted the seats. We have leather seat option on the CT. We purchased the leather because that was the only way to get memory seats ion the 2012 model.

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The CT did not feel at all "Lexus-like" to me.

Agreed. While the CT is much more comfortable than a Prius, it is nowhere as comfortable as our SC430s or our LS460.

The CT is a light car with a tight suspension. It does not "float" like our LS460.

We use it for a 220 mile trip several times a month. It handles well going 75 MPH for 3+ hours, but it is a bit noisy. It's also a great car for running local errands.

The sculptured seats give decent support but if your butt is oversized the narrow bolsters will bother you. Also the high bolsters are a little annoying when trying to exit the car.

We had a Prius before several years prior to purchasing the CT. The CT is much more comfortable than a Prius, mainly because I hated the Prius seats. With the Prius I would get back aches after 45 minutes on the road, no matter how I adjusted the seats. We have leather seat option on the CT. We purchased the leather because that was the only way to get memory seats ion the 2012 model.

I definitely agree there, the Prius driving position was horrible, like driving a golf cart. The CT I had was more comfortable than the Prius, but was not any more refined than a Prius in how it drives or operates.

I may actually be able to contribute on this one! My wife and I both drove Jeeps. A Grand Cherokee Overland Summit with a Hemi, and a Jeep Wrangler. Neither got 15mpg. We both took new positions at new companies where we needed to drive more. She's on the highway, I'm around town. She bought a new Audi Q5 and is pushing 30mpgs on the highway, cutting her gas expense in half. I bought a 2011 CT200h, and I'm getting between 40-45mpgs on a daily basis. We are REALLY saving enough each month on gas to PAY for the Lexus. Instead of $80 in gas every Monday morning in the Grand Cherokee, I fill up once every week-and-a-half for about $25.00.

Now...comfort. Compared to the Grand Cherokee, the Lexus is MUCH smaller and lighter. It feels like a sports car in comparison (we know it isn't...save the retorts). It is not as smooth as the Grand on the highway, but more than acceptable. In comparison, compared to the Wrangler, it is a luxury limo! We have two sons, they say the room and comfort in the back of the Lexus is as good as either Jeep, and nearly as comfortable as the Q5. They're sitting back there every day, that's a real world comparison by those using the back. I don't know why Lexus chose to NOT put an armrest or cupholders back there though... weird.

So, a few months in and we both LOVE the CT. If they give it good refresh/upgrade, we'll absolutely consider another one. We're "Big American Steel Gas Hog" people, but this is actual cash saved in a big way. If I wasn't driving around town more than highway, I'd likely have bought the Jetta SportWagen TDI, but this is better around town. You WILL change how you drive when driving the CT. If you keep the Average MPG visible in the cluster, it will become a game of sorts to maximize the gas money savings. I hear a cha-ching every time I drive it, yet it is fast enough and comfortable enough to let you forget it is a hybrid. Only the CVT reminds you it is a hybrid, but not a deal breaker for us. Pick up a low-mileage CT used and you have a great second vehicle for around town. I don't mind it on the highway, but I drove Jeep Wranglers for 15 years... anything is an improvement.

We have two sons, they say the room and comfort in the back of the Lexus is as good as either Jeep, and nearly as comfortable as the Q5. They're sitting back there every day, that's a real world comparison by those using the back. I don't know why Lexus chose to NOT put an armrest or cupholders back there though... weird.

The armrest is cost cutting on the Lexus.

Interesting because I also have a WK2 Grand Cherokee, and heavily considered the Audi Q5 before I bought it. I found the backseat in the Q5 totally unusable. Back seat is okay in the CT, but cramped. And its pretty good in the Jeep, we've had 5 people with no trouble.

I am 6' and I could not sit behind the drivers seat with my legs straight in the Q5 or the CT, but can in the Jeep.

The poor backseat and overall small size s the only reason I did not get a Q5

I have recently (in the last 2 weeks) taken delivery of a re-allocated company CT200h. I am entering the company car scheme and was poised to order a brand new Advance model however was offered a crazy deal on a 1yr old model already in the fleet, which turned out to be a no-brainer financially.

It is a 2012-plate SE-L with Leather, but no navigation in Arctic Pearl.

First impression was really good. My previous car (Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi SUV) was white and I was unsure about having another Ďwhiteí car, however when you are vaguely close to the Lexus, especially in bright sunlight which we have thankfully been blessed with over the last week, it really shows off the pearlescent colour and several people have remarked to me how Ďit looks like a sweet/candyí. Very eye catching and suits the large wheels.

Prior to getting the car, I read just about every review online and in print and I must say that some of the main reasons the car has been criticised I have found to simply be NOT the case at all. Number one criticism seems to be about the ride quality Ė I have found this no problem whatsoever. Itís not as soft as an SUV of course, but I would say it is comparable if not better than my old Civic Type-S and under most road conditions the ride is extremely comfortable. Iím sure given the short wheelbase, large wheels and fairly firm suspension that some of the worse pot holed roads wonít be brilliant to drive on, but that would apply to most cars in this class anyway.

The second regular review criticism is the noisy, unrefined engine. So far, I have found this to be perplexing also. Of course, around town the car is quiet and almost silent mostly, but even at legal motorway speeds I find the car hushed and refined. Accelerating very hard will cause some engine straining of course, but unless you drive like a lunatic these occurances will be few and far between. The car is certainly quieter and smoother than my Ford Kuga.

A third regular review criticism is the lack of performance. Well, I agree that it isnít a sports car, and you wonít want to be taking this car on track days, but pound-for-pound it has similar performance to my Kuga and that is more than enough for regular driving. The difference between Eco/Normal and Sport mode is also marked, primarily on throttle response and Iíve found that my usual use of this is when approaching a roundabout or junction, I will just twist the controller to ĎSportí allowing a very sharp, rapid acceleration from the junction and once Iím past it I just tap the controller back into Normal mode. Compared to all the manual stick waggling I have been used to for years, it is easy and I am never left feeling that I donít have enough power when I need it.

A fourth regular review criticism is the quoted economy figures. Ok, so they are a bit misleading but the CT200h is far from thirsty. Granted the weather here has been hot which apparently helps MPG numbers, but in the two weeks Iíve had it I am averaging 60mpg which is without trying to drive Ďtooí economically. I am sure that if your journeys are very stop/start or town/city based mainly, you would beat this number.

So I love the car. It has the understated looks and interior feel of an Audi, feels different enough with the hybrid powertrain and exceeds all my refinement worries.

My criticisms of the car are hardly that Ė and were all things I knew about before I got one. Firstly, my car doesnít have the sat nav, and the head-unit does look dated compared to other cars in the class. Having said that, it has full Bluetooth Phone and Audio capability and once you adjust the balance and audio settings, the quality of the speakers in the standard models show as being very good. Secondly, the cup holders in the centre console do not have any foam or rubber in them, so bottles being stored there can vibrate at times. I understand the fix is to, erm, put some foam in Ė so will be doing this. Itís an odd design flaw though.

Given the company car tax benefits of this car, I am surprised there are not even more of these on the road. Absolutely loving mine.

Number one criticism seems to be about the ride quality Ė I have found this no problem whatsoever. Itís not as soft as an SUV of course, but I would say it is comparable if not better than my old Civic Type-S...Of course, around town the car is quiet and almost silent mostly, but even at legal motorway speeds I find the car hushed and refined.

It all depends on what you are used to. Compared to economy cars like the Kuga (sold here as the Ford Escape) and Civic the CT rides well, is quiet and refined. However, when you compare it to other Lexus vehicles it doesn't compare nearly as favorably. To me it feels like an economy car, which is not what a Lexus typically feels like.

It all depends on what you are used to. Compared to economy cars like the Kuga (sold here as the Ford Escape) and Civic the CT rides well, is quiet and refined. However, when you compare it to other Lexus vehicles it doesn't compare nearly as favorably. To me it feels like an economy car, which is not what a Lexus typically feels like.

Point taken, but not sure about 'economy' cars as my Kuga had a list price similar to that of the CT200h!

Also the Kuga had a fantastic ride, but that was more due to the height of the suspension more than anything.

I could see how the CT wouldn't compare well against the larger Lexus vehicles, however this would be true for most premium makes - for example, a BMW X1 wouldn't compare well against an X5, or an Audi A3 against an A6.

I just find that the CT feels plenty refined *for this class of car*. I also recently had a Volvo V40 as a demonstrator and again I feel the CT has the edge in refinement, although the Volvo had a slightly softer ride.

Surely its only fair to judge a car on others in its class, rather than cars higher up the model range?